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The premiere of Raygun: The Musical, inspired by viral Olympic break dancer, Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn, has been called off in Sydney.
The show was shuttered after lawyer’s representing the Olympian threatened legal action in the event that the performance happened as scheduled.
The show’s creator and star, Steph Broadbridge, said in a video posted to Instagram that the breakdancer’s “lawyers got in touch with the venue and threatened legal action.”
She added, “They were worried I was damaging her brand, which I would never do…They were very concerned that people would think that Rachael Gunn was affiliated with the musical.”
In addition to shuttering the performance, Raygun’s legal team took the additional step of trademarking the show’s poster, which featured Gunn in her now-infamous “kangaroo hop” pose. :Lawyers told Broadbridge that she couldn’t perform the dance as Gunn “owns” it.
“That one did puzzle me – I mean, that’s an Olympic-level dance. How would I possibly be able to do that without any formal breakdancing training?” Broadbridge said.
Gunn’s representatives told CNN, “While we have immense respect for the credible work and effort that has gone into the development of the show, we must take necessary steps to safeguard Rachael’s creative rights and the integrity of her work…This action is not intended to diminish the contributions of others, but rather to ensure her brand is properly represented and protected in all future endeavours.”
Aussie comedian Broadbridge was set to debut the show in Sydney this week, prior to a full run at comedy festivals in Sydney, Melbourne and Edinburgh next year.
The parody was set to “feature an eight person cast, puppets, and original songs including You May Be a B-girl, But You’ll Always Be an A-girl To Me; I’m Breaking Down; and I’m a Celebrity.”
Broadbridge shared, “When she continued to be in the media and piped up with different opinions that would blow the story up again, I thought, ‘this could be a brilliant musical’… The story felt very operatic in how extreme everything was.”
She shared, “I really want [Raygun] to see it… ’m terrified, though. What if she doesn’t like it? It is a piss-take, but it’s done with love. You like her at the end, and she wins.”
